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THE BITTERBYNDE TRILOGY #1

'The opener of Dart-Thornton's series proves a sweet surprise' - The Washington Post.

“The Ill-Made Mute might well become one of the great fantasies.”- The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction“Not since Tolkien's 'The Lord of the Rings' have I been so impressed by a beautifully spun fantasy.”- Andre Norton, Grand Master of Science Fiction

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Cecilia Dart-Thornton

Cecilia Dart-Thornton is the author of numerous bestselling fantasy novels, notably the Bitterbynde Trilogy. The Washington Post reported that the first summer after Neilsen Booktrack launched in Australia it showed Dart-Thornton’s newly launched fantasy tome The Ill-Made Mute hitting the Herald's best-seller list, ranked next to mainstream authors and 'serious' fiction. Technology, in one swift blow, destroyed a decades-long publishers' bias against fantasy. It demonstrated that what people were really buying was simply not reflected in the old bestseller lists, based as they were on reports from a small panel of bookshops. The reality was, people were buying fantasy - in particular, they were buying The Ill-Made Mute. This debut novel and its two sequels in the 'Bitterbynde Trilogy' went on to win fans and accolades across the globe.

The Ill-Made Mute was listed on Amazon’s Best, Locus Magazine’s Best First Novels, the Sydney Morning Herald’s Top Twenty and the Australian Publishers' Association 'Australia's Favourite Read'. It is published in five languages and distributed in more than fifty countries around the world.

The daughter of an architect and an academic, Cecilia Dart-Thornton was born and raised in Australia. She graduated from Monash University with a Bachelor of Arts degree, then gained a post-graduate Diploma of Education. After starting out as a schoolteacher she created and ran her own business, but became a full-time writer in 2000 after her work was ‘discovered’ on the Internet and published by Time Warner (New York).

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The Crowthistle Chronicles #1 THE IRON TREEJarred longs to know the history of his father, who disappeared long ago, leaving behind an amulet that the boy has worn always. Some say it brings more than a bit of good luck his way, for no harm has ever befallen him...

The Iron Tree USA cover

The Iron Tree UK front cover

The Iron Tree UK back cover

The Iron Tree Italian cover #1

The Iron Tree Italian cover #2

The Crowthistle Chronicles #1 THE IRON TREE When Jarred reaches manhood, he journeys into the world to seek his fortune and perhaps along the way find news of his father. In his travels he stumbles across a place so strange and beautiful it takes his breath away - an immense tract of waterways and marshes, where people live amongst fey creatures and the very air seems to tingle with magic. There he finds Lilith, a young woman who will ultimately steal his heart... and who perhaps can provide a key to his heritage.

The Crowthistle Chronicles #2 THE WELL OF TEARS
Disaster strikes, and Jewel is forced to flee from the only home she has ever known. Now she learns that her parents, ensnared by a tragic prophecy, had hidden their daughter for years to guard the secret of her dreadful inheritance.

The Well of Tears USA and UK cover

The Well of Tears Italian cover #1

The Well of Tears Italian cover #2

Images from the Cyan Worlds interactive DVD for The Well of Tears

The Well of Tears back cover

The Crowthistle Chronicles #2 THE WELL OF TEARS Jewel has grown up surrounded by peace and love in abundance. But her world is cruelly shattered when disaster strikes, and she is forced to flee. Leaving the only home she has ever known, Jewel learns that her parents, caught in a tangle of a tragic prophecy, had hidden in the marshland for years to guard the secret of their daughter's dreadful inheritance - that she might be the one person in the world who could unlock the mysterious Dome of Strang that is said to hold marvels beyond belief. And that wicked King Maolmordha now knows of her existence and will stop at nothing to find her.

Rescued by a traveling band of Weathermasters, exalted magicians who control the heavens for the rich and powerful, Jewel is taken to High Darioneth and is accepted into this tightly knit community.
And not just accepted, but loved, for one of the young weathermasters beholds her and his heart is lost.
Jewel is left with the promise of true love and a powerful doom. But which path will she choose — and who will suffer if she makes the wrong choice?

The Crowthistle Chronicles #3 THE WELL OF TEARSAsrathiel keenly feels the gulf that separates her from everyone she knows. In her blood flows a terrible power waiting for her to use it for good or ill.

Weatherwitch USA and UK cover

Weatherwitch Italian cover

Weatherwitch USA and UK back cover

The Crowthistle Chronicles #3 THE WELL OF TEARS Asrāthiel is a beautiful young woman, the darling of the Weathermaster clan. Yet there is an air of sadness that surrounds her, for she lost her mother to an enchantment of eternal sleep. It seems she has lost her father too, for, overwhelmed by grief, he set off on a quest to find a way to waken his bride. While she wants for naught Asrathiel keenly feels the loss of her parents. Keener still, she feels the gulf that separates her from everyone she knows; for while she loves her father’s people dearly she knows she is not one of them.
In her blood flows a terrible power waiting for her to use it for good or ill.

Now near adulthood, Asrathiel finds herself at a crossroads. She can stay in the safety of all she has known, hide from the world and choose to use her powers in small ways to do small good. Or she can embark on a quest to fully realize the puissance that surges in her blood and perhaps undo the evil that her ancestors wreaked.
Her decision will reshape the world.

The Crowthistle Chronicles #4 FALLOWBLADE
War engulfs the kingdoms of Tir. Asrāthiel the Weatherwitch, summoner of storms, aids the defenders as best she can, but the invaders are pushing further north and it seems that all is lost . . . Until a new peril looms; far more dangerous and deadly.

Fallowblade USA cover

Fallowblade UK and Australian cover

Fallowblade UK and Australian back cover

Fallowblade USA back cover

The Crowthistle Chronicles #4 FALLOWBLADE THE IRON TREEWeapons glitter, men's voices are raised in battle-song and bright banners crack and flap in a sharp breeze; armies of steel and bronze are marching to war as the ruthless king of the southern realm executes his plan to seize dominion over the Four Kingdoms. With Tir's most powerful protectors slain by treachery and the defenders scattered, it appears nothing can stand in the tyrant's way.
Asrāthiel, summoner of storms, called 'Weatherwitch' by her wayward, eldritch companion, aids the defenders as best she can,

but the invading armies are pushing further north and it seems that all is lost . . .
Until a new peril unexpectedly looms; a far more dangerous and deadly menace that threatens not merely the balance of power, but the entire human race . . .